After 11 years as an Infantryman...I'm now a cable guy with an opinion.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Olson on Tinklenberg Lobbying...and it hits the fan.

Olson Calls on Tinklenberg to Come Clean on LobbyingTinklenberg's Lies Could Hurt Party in November, Olson Says

For Immediate ReleaseContact: Christopher Truscott

ANOKA—Bob Olson, a DFL candidate in the 6th Congressional District, called on Elwyn Tinklenberg to level with voters and come clean about his work as a federal lobbyist.

"I think when we have someone who lobbies members of Congress running for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, voters deserve to know whether there's a potential for a conflict of interest," Olson said. "Could public service advance Elwyn's private lobbying business? It's a fair question."

Olson's comments come in response to an op-ed article submitted to the St. Cloud Times (and provided to the campaign) in which a 6th District resident says Tinklenberg has been dishonest about his work as a federal lobbyist. At a DFL meeting in Buffalo last December, Tinklenberg said he doesn't engage in federal lobbying. Public records prove otherwise.

Voters deserve answers to several important questions, Olson said.

Why did Tinklenberg tell residents he's not a federal lobbyist?How much money have taxpayers spent on Tinklenberg's federal lobbyist work?How much money has Tinklenberg made lobbying the Transportation Committee he wishes to join?Have any of the cities employing Tinklenberg competed for the same federal funds?

"Elwyn really needs to be straightforward about this now," Olson said. "It's either he tells the truth in February or Mrs. Bachmann creates her version of the truth in October."

Tinklenberg's inability to tell the whole story on his lobbying work is part of a long pattern of deception on a series of important issues.

"Elwyn has proven he has a poor relationship with the truth," Olson said. "He was for the Iraq War and now he's against it. He was for the anti-GLBT Bachmann amendment and now he says he's not. He was anti-choice and now he claims to support reproductive choice. He wasn't a federal lobbyist and now he is. What's next? Voters don't need anymore surprises from Elwyn Tinklenberg."